01-15-2021, 01:07 PM
Health and tech groups aim to create digital Covid ‘vaccination passport’
Health and technology groups are working together to create a digital vaccination passport in the expectation that governments, airlines and other businesses will require proof people have been vaccinated against Covid-19. The Vaccination Credential Initiative, a coalition of organisations including Microsoft, Oracle and the US healthcare non-profit Mayo Clinic, aims to establish standards to verify whether a person has had their shot and prevent people falsely claiming to be protected against the disease. The coalition builds on work done by one of its members, The Commons Project, to develop an internationally accepted digital certificate to prove travellers have tested negative for Covid-19. The pass developed by the non-profit, established with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, is now being used by all three major airline alliances. Paul Meyer, chief executive of The Commons Project, said people vaccinated so far were often handed just a piece of paper, reminiscent of the “old yellow cards”. By working with health IT companies, such as Epic and Cerner in the US, the new system will be able to draw from electronic medical records to create a digital card. Mr Meyer said the coalition was in talks with several governments that expected their entry requirements to evolve over the next few months from mandating negative tests to a “hybrid”, accepting either tests or proof of vaccination.
Read more: Health and tech groups aim to create digital Covid ‘vaccination passport’
Health and technology groups are working together to create a digital vaccination passport in the expectation that governments, airlines and other businesses will require proof people have been vaccinated against Covid-19. The Vaccination Credential Initiative, a coalition of organisations including Microsoft, Oracle and the US healthcare non-profit Mayo Clinic, aims to establish standards to verify whether a person has had their shot and prevent people falsely claiming to be protected against the disease. The coalition builds on work done by one of its members, The Commons Project, to develop an internationally accepted digital certificate to prove travellers have tested negative for Covid-19. The pass developed by the non-profit, established with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, is now being used by all three major airline alliances. Paul Meyer, chief executive of The Commons Project, said people vaccinated so far were often handed just a piece of paper, reminiscent of the “old yellow cards”. By working with health IT companies, such as Epic and Cerner in the US, the new system will be able to draw from electronic medical records to create a digital card. Mr Meyer said the coalition was in talks with several governments that expected their entry requirements to evolve over the next few months from mandating negative tests to a “hybrid”, accepting either tests or proof of vaccination.
Read more: Health and tech groups aim to create digital Covid ‘vaccination passport’